1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to garden tools and, more specifically, to a manually operable weed remover which utilizes pivotal and rotatable spikes to capture a weed and its attendant root structure.
2. Background Information
There are many types of garden tools which can be utilized to remove stubborn weeds from the lawn and garden. Most of these tools rely upon sharpened blades of one type or another where such blades are fixedly secured to a handle, and usually substantial manual effort is required to remove weeds. Further, these types of prior art garden tools are not particularly suited for removing weed root structures.
Accordingly, as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,241, which is incorporated herein by reference, a weed removal tool is disclosed having a handle, an elongated shaft and a cluster of pivotable spikes attached to the lower end of the shaft/handle. When positioned over the center of a weed and downward pressure is applied, either by pushing on a bar handle or stepping on a foot rest, a bottom flange is forced up by the ground surface as the spikes pass through openings in the flange and into the ground around the weed. The spikes are directed through apertures in the moveable flange and movement of the flange causes the spikes to close around the root of the weed. The weed may then be pulled from the ground by upward pressure on the tool.